Willits bypass viaduct to be named after Jesse D. Pittman

Willits bypass viaduct to be named after Jesse D. Pittman

U.S. Navy SEAL Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Jesse Daryl Pittman, 27, of Willits, and 37 others were killed on Aug. 6, 2011 when their Chinook helicopter was shot down by enemy fire in the Wardak Province of Afghanistan.

Jesse Pittman was a native of Willits and the community has struggled with his loss.

In December 2014, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution urging the Legislature to name a bridge on the new Willits bypass after the fallen native son. The board received several letters endorsing the plan, including one from Sheriff Tom Allman with a list 87 local residents supporting it. The naming effort began independently by Mikele Cameron and Jesse’s uncle Mike Pittman, according to the Pittman family. The two proponents joined forces and helped bring the resolution into reality.

In January, local Assemblyman Jim Wood took up the effort, authoring an Assembly Concurrent Resolution to formally request the legislative authorization. The resolution has been working its way through the legislature and on Aug. 11 it became law, when the Secretary of State formally enrolled and chaptered the resolution.

“We are honored and pleased,” say Jesse’s parents Terry and Ida Pittman, of Willits, about the bridge dedication. “We live in a wonderful and caring community. We would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to our community for the wonderful support they have provided us for the past four years.”

Ida continued, “Everyone has helped in lots of ways, some large and some with the small little things that have helped make all the difference.”

One of the efforts Ida and Terry are proudest of is the Jesse Pittman Memorial Fund. Through this fund they have provided scholarships to four students they believe were cut from Jesse’s “cloth.” As a SEAL Jesse had a saying among his SEAL teammates, “I don’t run, I charge,” which is exactly how he lived his life.

The Pittmans are looking for scholarship candidates “through grit, hard work and determination, who want to answer the call to service and make a difference, who seek adventure and challenge and who possess an uncommon desire to succeed.”

They have been able to provide the scholarships from donations and from the proceeds of the annual Jesse D. Pittman 5K run at Lake Mendocino.

Ida has enjoyed interviewing the candidates for the scholarships. “It is refreshing to see young people doing so many great things. I don’t know how they find time to do them.”

Culled from Willits News click to read more